HS student rate to babysit three young kids?

[Anonymous]

My DD (age 14) charges $21 per hour in McLean. She will only sit two time a month (every other Saturday) and is always booked weeks in advance. She has four families who she sits for in the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD (age 14) charges $21 per hour in McLean. She will only sit two time a month (every other Saturday) and is always booked weeks in advance. She has four families who she sits for in the neighborhood.

I wouldn’t pay a 14 year old $21/hr. This can’t be real - what an odd rate. not even ending in a 0 or 5?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 HS kids and they would take $25 per hour each, if the kids were in bed and sleeping.

Are you nuts?! No way.

My DD lives in NWDC and routinely receives $20/hour. Maybe the rate is less in the suburbs.

Of course she does. I bet she also got accepted to Harvard, Yale and Princeton on a full scholarship, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD (age 14) charges $21 per hour in McLean. She will only sit two time a month (every other Saturday) and is always booked weeks in advance. She has four families who she sits for in the neighborhood.

I wouldn’t pay a 14 year old $21/hr. This can’t be real - what an odd rate. not even ending in a 0 or 5?

This is not real. For $21/hour you could hire a nanny. Only an idiot would pay a 14 year old that much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD (age 14) charges $21 per hour in McLean. She will only sit two time a month (every other Saturday) and is always booked weeks in advance. She has four families who she sits for in the neighborhood.

I wouldn’t pay a 14 year old $21/hr. This can’t be real - what an odd rate. not even ending in a 0 or 5?

Our HS freshman babysitter charges $8. I give her $10 because I want her to want to babysit for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD (age 14) charges $21 per hour in McLean. She will only sit two time a month (every other Saturday) and is always booked weeks in advance. She has four families who she sits for in the neighborhood.

I wouldn’t pay a 14 year old $21/hr. This can’t be real - what an odd rate. not even ending in a 0 or 5?

Our HS freshman babysitter charges $8. I give her $10 because I want her to want to babysit for us.

We also use a younger HS student. $10/hr and she just started her sophomore year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD (age 14) charges $21 per hour in McLean. She will only sit two time a month (every other Saturday) and is always booked weeks in advance. She has four families who she sits for in the neighborhood.

Lol. For that rate, I'll get a qualified adult sitter with years of paid experience, cpr/first aid certified, her own transportation in case of emergency. No way in hell would I ever pay a teen, especially a 14 year old, $21/hour.

Have a great 31 year old sitter that we've had for about 3 years and found through the Care app. $20/hour with 4hr minimum for 3 kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was 13 I babysat for a family with 5 kids. When I started they were 9, 7, 5, 2 and baby. I was an excellent babysitter! I think it’s terrible that people think so little of teens these days. The parents in this family were both from large families so they were familiar with older children knowing how to take care of younger ones.

np how embarrassing for the nine year old to be bossed by someone only four years older.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD (age 14) charges $21 per hour in McLean. She will only sit two time a month (every other Saturday) and is always booked weeks in advance. She has four families who she sits for in the neighborhood.

I wouldn’t pay a 14 year old $21/hr. This can’t be real - what an odd rate. not even ending in a 0 or 5?

This is not real. For $21/hour you could hire a nanny. Only an idiot would pay a 14 year old that much.

+1. More power to your daughter though!

[Anonymous]

Are you all really paying less than minimum wage to your sitters?

I'd expect to pay $20/hour for my ten year old. I also would not hire a sitter under 18.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would NEVER leave a HS student with any kid younger then 5. I would NEVER leave HS in care of more then one child.

This!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you all really paying less than minimum wage to your sitters?

I'd expect to pay $20/hour for my ten year old. I also would not hire a sitter under 18.

Of course. Minimum wage laws don’t apply to the scenario of date night sitters and with good reason. I also don’t withhold income taxes on her behalf (below the amount where that’s an issue, but still.)

I am shocked at how many people wouldn’t use a teen sitter!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you all really paying less than minimum wage to your sitters?

I'd expect to pay $20/hour for my ten year old. I also would not hire a sitter under 18.

I don’t know where you live, but the minimum wage in VA is $7ish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This question came up in another forum : What’s the right hourly rate for a high school student to babysit a 4 year old and 2 year old twins?


My first thought was that a high shhool student shouldn’t be watching that many young kids. Nobody else said this and just gave various rates. Am I wrong? And what do YOU think is a fair rate?

Ask the babysitter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would NEVER leave a HS student with any kid younger then 5. I would NEVER leave HS in care of more then one child.

This!

Were you both incredibly irresponsible high schoolers? I babysat two kids at a time plenty in HS. One family had a six year old with significant SN and a toddler, and I managed them both well. Some parents even let me drive their kids—and I was at 16 a better driver than many adults. Vet them carefully, but there are plenty of responsible, mature high schoolers out there as I was.

In this case, and as a mom of three, I think a four year old and two year old twins is a handful for a even the most capable high schooler; our sitters are college grads with lots of experience. But it’s possible to find a great one (e.g., someone with three or more younger siblings).